Charging device for converters



1965 E. J. KINKOPF CHARGING DEVICE FOR CONVERTERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledAug. 15, 1964 Edward J. Kinkopf 5/ Kai 9X22 Dec. 14, 1965 E. J. KINKOPF3,223,257

CHARGING DEVICE FOR CONVERTERS Filed Aug. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Edward J. Kinkopf United States Patent 3,223,257 CHARGINGDEVlCE FGR CONVERTERS: Edward J. Kinkopf, Alliance, Ohio, assignor toThe Alliance Machine Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 13, 1964,Ser. No. 389,273 4 Claims. ((31. 214-48) This invention relatesgenerally to a charging device for converters and more specifically to acharging device having dual feed material boxes operable individually tocharge feed material such as scrap into converters and the like such asused in the basic oxygen process for converting iron to steel.

Multiple charging devices have heretofore been proposed for chargingmaterials into converters, including a plurality of charge boxes thatmay be discharged into a converter individually and independently of theother charge boxes. Generally, however, each unit of a multiple chargingdevice has had its own separate motor means for independent operation.The thinking has been that there would be obvious economics in havingmultiple charging devices each unit of which is independently op erablebut yet could all be operated from a single motor means. Other attemptshave been made to accomplish this but they have resulted in complexgearing and control equipment and multiple track devices that havedefeated the economic purposes intended. The present invention providesa charging device having dual feed ma terial boxes that, although theyare operated individually to charge the material they contain into aconverter, are nevertheless each operated from the same motor means,i.e., there is but a single motor means which operates either feedmaterial box. This is accomplished by virtue of a unique clutch meanswhich provides a positive engagement between the motor means and boxbeing charged and at the same time provides a positive disengagementwith the box not being charged whereby it is impossible for both boxesinadvertently or otherwise to be charged at the same time. The clutchalso provides a neutral position of positive disengagement of the motormeans with both boxes.

I provide an improved charging device comprising a traveling carriermovable from a feed material receiving station to a feed materialcharging station, a pair of lever means swingably mounted on saidcarrier, a pair of feed material boxes disposed on said carrier, eachbox being selectively engaged thereon with a respective lever means,single reversible motor means operable to swing each of said lever meansand the box associated therewith independently of the other lever meansinto a discharging attitude and back again, said motor means havingclutch means adapted to operatively connect in positive engagement saidmotor means with each of said lever means such that when said motormeans is positively engaged with one of said lever means it ispositively disengaged with the other of said lever means.

The clutch means preferably comprises a pair of clutch members eachaxially slidably mounted toward opposite ends of drive shaft meansdriven by said single reversible motor means, said clutch members beingkeyed to said drive shaft means for rotation therewith, said clutchmembers each being engageable with a respective lever means, said clutchmembers being connected in a constant spaced relationship whereby theymove together along said drive shaft means, said constant spacing beingsuch that only one clutch member at a time may engage its respectivelever means and both clutch members may be disengaged at the same time.

Preferably, the clutch members are mounted between said lever means andeach have a toothed face portion adapted to mesh with a respectivetoothed face portion Patented Dec. 14, 1965 of said lever means.Furthermore, each clutch member carries thereon a collar member withinwhich it is rotatable. A yoke means is secured to said collar members totie the clutch members together at a constant spacing that differssubstantially from the spacing between the lever means to thereby insurethat the respective clutch members and lever means may only be engagedone at a time and may both be disengaged at the same time. I alsopreferably provide means operable to move or shift the yoke means toshift the clutch members into and out of engagement with theirrespective lever means.

Moreover, I preferably provide that the toothed face portions of saidclutch members and lever means are shaped to provide a ratchet typeengagement whereby the engagement therebetween is positive when swingingsaid lever means upwardly and permits slippage therebetween when saidlever means has been swung completely downwardly and said motor meanscontinues to operate to lower said lever means, including spring meanspermitting said clutch members to move away from engagement with saidlever means during such slippage while resiliently urging said clutchmembers into engagement with said lever means.

In the foregoing general description, certain purposes, objects andadvantages of this invention have been set forth. Other details, objectsand advantages of the invention will become apparent as the followingdescription of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred embodimentof the invention in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of my dualcharging device;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view as viewed from the right of FIGURE1 with parts removed for clarity;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top plan view partly in section of the leverlifting drive system of my dual charging device; and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded fragmentary isometric view partly in section ofthe clutch and clutch shifting mechanism of my charging device.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGURE 1, there isillustrated generally my charging device 10 in association with aconverter 11. Charging device 10 in cludes a carrier 12 mounted onwheels 13 and travels along rails 14 which are disposed on supportingstructure 15 and generally extend from a feed material loading orreceiving station (not shown) the various charging stations adjacent theconverters. Carrier 12 is powered to move along tracks 14 by appropriatemeans such as electric motors 16 in a manner well known to those skilledin this art. An operators protective cab and control booth 19 is alsocarried on carrier 12.

Mounted on carrier 12 are a pair of lever means 20 (refer also to FIGURE2). Each lever means 20 comprises a platen 21 having a pair of dependinglegs 22 pivoted to carrier 12 on the side of carrier 12 adjacent theconverters, as shown at reference 23. Platen 21 carries a leg 24 on theside of carried 12 away from the converters which rests on a supportmember 17 mounted on carrier 12. Resilient cushion pads 18, preferablyof rubber, are provided at the point of contact between support 17 andleg 24 to cushion the impact from leg 24 when lever means 20 is returnedto rest on carrier 12, which operation will be further explained anddescribed later in this specification. Platen 21 also carries an eye 27disposed at the end thereof farthest removed from pivot point 23 throughwhich a crane hook may be inserted to swing lever means 20 in case ofpower failure or other emergencies.

Each lever means 20 also carries cradles 25 and retaining plates 26 onplaten 21 which support a feed material box 30 removably disposed oneach lever means 20. Boxes 30 have ears or lugs 31 and 32 which seat incradles 25 and retaining plates 26 respectively. Ears 31 are elongated(as best shown in FIGURE 2) so that crane hooks can be easily engagedwith them which along with the hook receiving eye 33 provided at therear of each box 30 (see FIGURE 1) permits boxes 30 to readily be liftedand disengaged from platen 21 of lever means 20 and, of course, viceversa. It should be clear from the above description that each levermeans 20 may be pivoted upwardly about'pivot 23, as shown in chainlinein FIGURE 1, and that in so doing; the respective boxes 30 will also beraised or swung to a discharging attitude or position and any feedmaterial disposed in either box 30 will be discharged therefrom throughthe mouth 34 thereof into converter 11. It should also be clear from theillustration that each box 30 is retained on lever means 20 in thisdischarging attitude by the weight of box 30 urging ears 32 thereof intothe receiving slots of retaining plates 26.

Turning now to the means for swinging lever means 20 and theirrespective boxes 30, and referring more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 3,I there show generally a motor 40, which preferably is a reversibleelectric motor, centrally located and mounted on carrier 12. Motor 40has a conventional motor brake 35 associated therewith and powers adrive shaft 42 through a conventional right angle reducer apparatus 41also mounted on carrier 12. Drive shaft 42 passes through reducer 41 andis supported at its end by bearings 43 mounted on carrier 12. Driveshaft 42 as illustrated is split on either side of reducer 41 and thencoupled by conventional couplers 44 to facilitate the removal of partsfor maintenance purposes.

Just outboard of couplers 44, drive shaft 42 carries a pair of clutchmembers 45 that are axially slidably mounted thereon and keyed theretoas best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. As there shown, drive shaft 42contains keyways 46 for each clutch member 45 and clutch members 45carry keys 39 which key into keyways 46 and are slidable therein. Fromthis illustration and description it is clear that clutch members 45 maybe slid or moved axially along drive shaft 42 to the extent permitted bythe length of keyways 46 and are also keyed to drive shaft 42 to rotatetherewith. Clutch members 45 also have a toothed clutch face 47 which isengageable with the toothed face 37 of a pair of pinion gears 48. Piniongears 48 are also disposed on drive shaft 42 and are located thereonbetween clutch members 45 and bearings 43. Each pinion gear 48 issuitably bushed so that drive shaft 42 can rotate within it and isrestrained from any axial movement along drive shaft 42 whereby piniongear 48 may not rotate with drive shaft 42 unless engaged with itscorresponding clutch member 45. Each pinion gear 48 is engaged or meshedwith a spur gear 38 keyed to a driven shaft 50. Each driven shaft 50 inturn is supported in bearings 51 mounted on carrier 12. Driven shaft 50also carries thereon a pinion gear 52 which is appropriately keyed todriven shaft 50 for rotation therewith. Each pinion gear 52 in turn isengaged or meshed with a segmented gear 53 which is pivotally attachedat its center axis to carrier 12 as at reference 54. As best shown inFIGURE 1, each of the segmented gears 53 are pinned to platen 21 as atreference 55 in a swivel type arrangement.

From the foregoing description and the illustrations it should be clearthan when drive shaft 42 is rotating and clutch member 45 is engagedwith pinion gear 48, that pinion gear 48 will turn with drive shaft 42and drive spur gear 38 which rotates driven shaft 50 and pinion gear 52,which in turn pivots segmented gear 53 about its center axis 54 to swinglever means 20 up or down through the attachment of segmented gear 53 toplaten 21 at swivel connection 55. It should be noted that the centeraxes at 54 and pivots 23 are aligned coincidentally so that segmentedgears 53 and lever means 20 swing together without any shifting orbinding of their swivel connections 55.

From the foreging it should also be clear that each lever means 26 andits associated box 30 may be driven independently of the other byshifting clutch members 45 together so that when one clutch member 45 ispositively engaged with its respective pinion gear 48, the other clutchmember 45 is positively disengaged with its respective pinion gear 48.The means by which I accomplish this movement of clutch member 45 toinsure positive engagement and disengagement will be taken up next.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it is there shown that each clutch member 45carries a collar 49 thereon which is attached to a yoke means 50 whichties the two clutch members 45 together. More explicitly, as shown inFIG- URE 4, clutch members 45 have annularly reduced end portions 51.Reduced end portion 51 serves as a bearmg seat for the inner race of anannular thrust bearing 53 which is disposed thereon and a retaining ring54 which is suitably fastened to the end of clutch member 45 and servesto keep thrust bearing 53 in place. Collar 49 is a split collar havingan annular inner groove 56 into which the outer race of thrust bearing53 seats. From the foregoing it should be clear that clutch members 45rotate within collar 49 and may be axially shifted along drive shaft 42by axiallly shifting collar 49.

Each of the collars 49 carries a pair of pivot pins 57 disposed outsideon opposite sides of collar 49. Pins 57 extend through openings 52 inthe ends of legs 58 of a wishbone like element 59 of yoke 50. Yoke 50includes a tube 60 to which each wishbone element 59 is secured nearopposite ends thereof. Struts 36 brace the attachment of wishboneelement 59 to tube 60. From the foregoing it is understandable that iftube 60 is shifted axially that clutch members 45 connected theretothrough collars 49 and wishbone elements 59 will accordingly be shiftedaxially along drive shaft 42 together. In order to guarantee that theclutch members 45 may only engage their respective pinion gears 48 oneat a time, it is very important that a certain spacing be maintainedbetween clutch members 45 at all times and that this spacing be suchthat when one clutch member 45 is engaged with its respective piniongear 48, the spacing maintained between the clutch members 45 does notpermit the other clutch member to contact its pinion gear 48. With thispoint in mind, it will be noted that yoke 50 maintains a constantspacing between clutch members 45 which spacing is substantiallydifferent, in this case shorter, than the spacing between pinion gears48 and thus assures that only one clutch member 45 at a time may beengaged. It should be further noted that this spacing also permits acentral or neutral position wherein both clutch members 45 may bedisengaged at the same time.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, I also illustrate the means by which yoke50' is axially shifted. Tube 60 is supported on roller bearings 61mounted on carrier 12. Within tube 60 is a rod 62 the ends of whichextend through suitably bushed end caps 63 which support rod 62 in tube60. Secured to rod 62 within tube 60 are a pair of spring seats 64 whichcontain springs 65 disposed around rod 62 and within tube 60 at oppositeends thereof, the reasons for which will be more fully explainedhereinafter. A projecting arm 66 is secured to rod 62 and extendsthrough an elongated opening 67 in tube 60. Adjacent tube 60 I provide amotor means 68 having a movable rod 69 attached to arm 66 as atreference 70. In this instance I show motor means 68 generally as anelectric cylinder which powers rod 69. Motor means 68 also preferablyincludes a crank 71 for manual operation to move rod 69 in the event ofa power failure or other emergency. It will be understood thatenergizing motor. means 68 to move rod 69 will move rod 62 through arm66 which in turn moves tube 60 through springs 65 and thus move clutchmembers 45 as earlier described. In this respect, it should be notedthat the axes of rod 69,

.5 rod 62, tube 60, collars 49, clutch members 45, pinion gears 48 anddrive shaft 42 are parallel or coincidental with each other.

By Way of further explanation with regard to springs 65, it will berecalled that the engagement between clutch members 45 and pinion gears48 is a toothed engagement as earlier described. As shown in FIGURE 4,the teeth 47 and 37 are so shaped as to provide a ratchet typeengagement so that when drive shaft 42 is rotating to swing lever meansupwardly into a discharging position the engagement between theparticular clutch member 45 and the respective pinion gear 48 ispositive. However, when motor means 40 is reversed and drive shaft 42 isrotated the other way to permit lever means 20 to swing down to seat oncarrier 12, the ratchet type engagement of clutch member 45 and piniongear 48 permits drive shaft 42 to continue to rotate even though levermeans 20 is all the way down, by virtue of the teeth 47 slipping overteeth 37. This slippage just mentioned cannot occur, of course, unlessthe pinion gear or clutch members are permitted to partly back or springaway from each other at such times and springs 65 in tube 60 permit thisslight movement while at the same time they constantly urge the engagingclutch member 45 forward into engagement with the respective pinion gear48. Thus, although it is intended that motor means 40 be stopped fromrotating drive shaft 42 when lever means 20 comes to rest in returningto carrier 12, the described spring arrangement does afford fullprotection against injury to the clutch or motor means for overtravelfrom any failure to stop motor means 40 at this time. Furthermore, itfacilitates the meshing of teeth 47 and 37 in that if teeth 47 and 37should meet on their high points when clutch member 45 is shiftedagainst pinion gear 48, springs 65 permit rod 62 to make its fulladvancement regardless thereof and thereafter urge clutch member 45 intofull positive engagement when the rotation of drive shaft 42 iscommenced.

In practice, I provide conventional electrical limit switches (notshown) to stop motor means 40 when lever means 20 is swung to its upperand lower extremes so that the spring arrangement above described isessentially a safety device to prevent injury to my charger in the eventthe down-travel limit switch fails to operate and also because a littleover-travel is preferably permitted to make certain lever means 20 isfully returned to rest on carrier 12. If the raising or up-travel limitswitch fails to operate, segmented gear 53 simply runs ofi its end toothand rides thereon in a sort of ratcheting with or bouncing on piniongear 52. If desired, another limit switch may be added to back up theup-travel limit switch it such bouncing is believed undesirable. In theevent any of said limit switches fail therefor, no harm is done and theratcheting noise alerts the operator to stop motor means by other meansprovided him in cab 19. In this respect, and also in respect of thewhole operation of my charging device, the operator is provided withconventional electrical controls in his cab or control booth 19, whichform no part of the present invention and therefore are not illustratedor further described.

Assuming that boxes 30 have been filled with scrap and are disposed oncarrier 12 in association with their respective lever means 20, carrier12 is moved along track 14 to position one of the boxes 30 at a chargingstation in front of a converter 11, which has been appropriately tiltedto receive a charge. The operator then energizes the motor means 68 toshift yoke 50 and engage the clutch member with its corresponding piniongear 48 associated with the lever means 20 of the box 30 positioned infront of converter 11. The operator next energizes motor means 40 torotate drive shaft 42 to swing said box 30 upwardly as earlier describedinto its discharging attitude whereupon the scrap slides out of mouth 34of said box 30 and into converter 11. When said box 30 is thus emptied,the operator stops and reverses motor means 40 which rotates drive shaft42 in a direction to swing lever means 20 back down. When box 30 is thusreturned to rest on carrier 12 and motor means 40 is stopped, theoperator energizes motor means 68 to disengage clutch member 45 andpinion gear 48 and dispose both clutch members 45 in the neutral ordisengaged position earlier mentioned. The operator then moves carrier12 on track 14 to line up the other box 30 before converter 11. He thenenergizes motor means 68 to shift yoke 50 the other way to engage theother clutch member 45 with the corresponding pinion gear 48 associatedwith the other lever means 20 and said other box 30 and repeats thecycle just described with regard to discharging and returning the firstmentioned box 30 and thereafter, of course, moves carrier 12 away to thefeed material loading station to refill his boxes.

From the foregoing it is clear that I have invented a multiple chargingdevice for converters that effects certain economies and benefits withrelatively few complications and a minimum of special structure.

While I have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of theinvention, it is tobe distinctly understood that the invention is notlimited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scopeof the following claims.

I claim:

1. An improved charging device for converters and the like comprising atraveling carrier movable from a feed material receiving station to afeed material charging station, a pair of lever means swingably mountedon said carrier, a pair of feed material boxes disposed on said carrier,each box being selectively engaged thereon with a respective levermeans, single reversible motor means operable to swing each of saidlever means and the box associated therewith independently of the otherlever means into a discharging position and back again, said motor meanshaving clutch means adapted to operatively connect in positiveengagement said motor means with each of said lever means such that whensaid motor means is positively engaged with one of said lever means itis positively disengaged with the other of said lever means, said clutchmeans comprising a pair of clutch members each axially slidably mountedtoward opposite ends of drive shaft means driven by said singlereversible motor means, said clutch members being keyed to said driveshaft means for rotation therewith, said clutch members each beingengageable with a respective lever means, said clutch members beingconnected in a constant spaced relationship whereby they move togetheralong said drive shaft means, said constant spacing being such that onlyone clutch member at a time may engage its respective lever means andboth clutch members may be disengaged at the same time.

2. An improved charging device for converters and the like comprising atraveling carrier movable from a feed material receiving station to afeed material charging station, a pair of lever means swingably mountedon said carrier, a pair of feed material boxes disposed on said carrier,each box being selectively engaged thereon with a respective levermeans, single reversible motor means operable to swing each of saidlever means and the box associated therewith independently of the otherlever means into a discharging position and back again, said motor meanshaving clutch means adapted to operatively connect in positiveengagement said motor means with each of said lever means such that whensaid motor means is positively engaged with one of said lever means itis positively disengaged with the other of said lever means, said clutchmeans comprising a pair of clutch members each axially slidably mountedtoward opposite ends of drive shaft means and keyed thereto for rotationtherewith, said drive shaft means being driven by said single reversiblemotor means, said clutch members being mounted between lever means andeach having a toothed face portion adapted to mesh with a respectivetoothed face portion of said lever means, said clutch members eachcarrying a collar member thereon, said clutch members being rotatable intheir respective collar members, yoke means secured to said collarmembers and tying said collar members together on said drive shaft at aconstant spacing substantially smaller than the spacing between saidlever means whereby said respective clutch members and lever means maybe engaged only one at a time and may be disengaged together.

3. An improved charging device as claimed in claim 2 including meansoperable to move said yoke means and thereby shift said clutch memberstogether along said drive shaft means into and out of engagement withsaid respective lever means.

4. An improved charging device as claimed in claim 2 wherein saidtoothed face portions of said clutch member and lever means are adaptedfor a ratchet type engagement whereby the engagement therebetween ispositive when swinging said lever means upwardly and permits slippagetherebetween when said lever means has been swung completely downwardlyand said motor means continues to operate to lower said lever means,including spring means permitting said clutch members to move away fromengagement with said lever means during such slippage while resilientlyurging said clutch members into engagement with said lever means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,459,035 1/1949Lima 105-273 2,836,309 5/ 1958 McFeaters. 2,929,658 3/1960 Killebrew298-8 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,223,257

December 14, 1965 Edward J. Kinkopf It is hereby certified that errorappears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that thesaid Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 46, after "(not shown)" insert to line 58, for "carried"read carrier column 3, line 29, for "end" read ends column 4, line 3,for "foreging" read foregoing line 26, for "axiallly" read axiallycolumn 6, line 58, for "hoxes" read boxes Signed and sealed this 17thday of May 1966.

SEAL) Lttest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER Lttesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner ofPatents

1. AN IMPROVED CHARGING DEVICE FOR CONVERTERS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING ATRAVELING CARRIER MOVABLE FROM A FEED MATERIAL RECEIVING STATION TO AFEED MATERIAL CHARGING STATION, A PAIR OF LEVER MEANS SWINGABLY MOUNTEDON SAID CARRIER, A PAIR OF FEED MATERIAL BOXES DISPOSED ON SAID CARRIER,EACH BOX BEING SELECTIVELY ENGAGED THEREON WITH A RESPECTIVE LEVERMEANS, SINGLE REVERSIBLE MOTOR MEANS OPERABLE TO SWING EACH OF SAIDLEVER MEANS AND THE BOX ASSOCIATED THEREWITH INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OTHERLEVER MEANS INTO A DISCHARGING POSITION AND BACK AGAIN, SAID MOTOR MEANSHAVING CLUTCH MEANS ADAPTED TO OPERATIVELY CONNECT IN POSITIVEENGAGEMENT SAID MOTOR MEANS WITH EACH OF SAID LEVER MEANS SUCH THAT WHENSAID MOTOR MEANS IS POSITIVELY ENGAGED WITH ONE OF SAID LEVER MEANS ITIS POSITIVELY DISENGAGED WITH THE OTHER OF SAID LEVER MEANS, SAID CLUTCHMEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF CLUTCH MEMBERS EACH AXIALLY SLIDABLY MOUNTEDTOWARD OPPOSITE ENDS OF DRIVE SHAFT MEANS DRIVEN BY SAID SINGLEREVERSIBLE MOTOR MEANS, SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS BEING KEYED TO SAID DRIVESHAFT MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS EACH BEINGENGAGEABLE WITH A RESPECTIVE LEVER MEANS, SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS BEINGCONNECTED IN A CONSTANT SPACED RELATIONSHIP WHEREBY THEY MOVE TOGETHERALONG SAID DRIVE SHAFT MEANS, SAID CONSTANT SPACING BEING SUCH THAT ONLYONE CLUTCH MEMBER AT A TIME MAY ENGAGE ITS RESPECTIVE LEVER MEANS ANDBOTH CLUTCH MEMBERS MAY BE DISENGAGED AT THE SAME TIME.